Some Days

María Wernicke is an award-winning Argentinian author and illustrator of children’s books. She is a 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award nominee. She has won the prestigious ALIJA prize in Argentina three times and has had her work included on the esteemed White Ravens list from the International Youth Library in Germany. In Brazil, one of her books was included as Highly Recommended by the National Foundation for Children and Youth Literature. Her illustrations have been part of multiple international exhibits, including at the Bratislava Biennial exhibition and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, among others. Learn more about the author at www.mariawernicke.blogspot.com.Lawrence Schimel is a bilingual author who writes in both Spanish and English, with more than one hundred books to his credit. His children’s books have won a Crystal Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a White Raven from the International Youth Library in Germany, and have been selected for lists of outstanding titles by the International Board on Books for Young People. He is also a prolific literary translator, into English and into Spanish. His translated books include Wanda Gàg’s Millions of Cats and George Takei’s graphic novel They Called Us Enemy, among many others. He lives in Madrid, Spain.

“In Schimel’s translation, Wernicke’s words are few but well chosen and expertly paced, the sentences split among the pages allowing for unhurried absorption of meaning. Her curved figures are solid, with cream-colored skin; straight, black hair; and short lines for eyes. No mouths are visible, a decision that adds to the contemplative aura. Subtle patterns add interest, and red—ultimately applied to the mother—signals warmth and love…A gentle model for living while missing a loved one.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“This brief, wistful exchange between a mother and her child delivers its emotion between the lines, and Schimel’s translation handles the understatement deftly…Wernicke shows the two twirled up in another set of sheets, looking for the passageway together, in this portrait of a parent who hears and honors her child’s words.” —Publishers Weekly“In this economical, poignant picture book, a girl tells her mother about a passageway in their yard that leads to a place on ‘the other side’ where there is ‘no danger’ and ‘nothing, nothing at all, can happen to you.’ The illustrations tell more—in this place, the girl gets a ride on the shoulders of a large man (possibly her father) who makes her feel safe…Wernicke’s emotive picture book expresses a child’s strong feelings about longing and safety.” —The Horn Book“Some Days is an incredibly moving and poignant story with layers of meaning which are sure to resonate with anyone who knows what it means to miss a loved one.” —Outside In World